Post
by Badger Freezer » Thu. Dec. 10, 2015 8:42 am
Just to follow up on hooking up cold air ducting from your stove to the warm air ducting in your house...I have already done this and you will be S-O-O-O surprised with the results. The old style of 'Octopus" heating used the principle of gravity and convection to warm the homes. This was displaced by the advent of electricity in homes at which time the electric fan turned the system into forced air.
But, the old school method was to have the warm air ducts in the center of the home, as well as the furnace(in the basement) to ensure the heating ducts were as short as possible(trying to keep them no longer than 16 feet). No moving parts involved. This did not work in slab homes. Anyway, the cold air returns were most often on the outside walls because of the flood of cold air through windows and doors. With the furnace in the basement and the cold air return jacket around, it would heat the cold from the return (heavier)air making it lighter and push it up to the rooms above. The warm air would cool and fall, then cycle begins again. A nice exchange of air throughout the house.
I use this principle everyday and my house stays at a constant 74*F day and night, right now. My room temperatures varies only slightly and the floors are warm. As with outside temp, inside temp might vary daily, but your hourly fluctuation should be greatly diminished using the gravity warm air system. Once the inside temp is balanced for the day, it should stay there with a full load of coal in the stove, banked and set for the night.
You might find yourself selling one of your coal stoves, if you hook up to the gravity warm air system.